Maserati’s new 285 km/h Grancabrio Sport

Another high horsepower premium soft top will debut in Geneva in the form of the 331 kW (450 bhp) Maserati Grancabrio Sport. The hard-edged Grancabrio uses the same 4.7-litre V8, driving through a ZF six-speed automatic though the engine has benefited from Maserati's Friction Reduction Program to achieve a 6% reduction in fuel consumption. The new six-speed 285 km/h automatic will debut at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in a new colour (Rosso Trionfale) inspired by the Italian national colours used on 1950s racing Maseratis such as the 250F in which Juan Manuel Fangio won his fifth F1 World Title in 1957.

The official Maserati press release:

Worldwide preview at the Geneva Auto Show for the Maserati Grancabrio Sport

Modena, February 21, 2011. After stunning the world with the GranCabrio at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Maserati will use the 2011 Geneva Motor Show to take its grand-touring convertible to a new level of performance and handling with the GranCabrio Sport.

Conceived to give the GranCabrio a harder-edged model to sit alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S, the GranCabrio Sport uses a more powerful and fuel-efficient version of Maserati's, all-alloy 4.7-litre V8, coupled with the ZF six-speed automatic transmission.

This naturally aspirated engine produces in this configuration 331 kW (450 horsepower) and has 510 Nm at the peak of its rich, thick torque curve. Maserati's Friction Reduction Program has made the GranCabrio Sport's engine more reactive to the driver's most-nuanced inputs, while reaching a 6% reduction in fuel consumption. The top speed of the GranCabrio Sport is 285 km/h.

This six-speed transmission is equipped with the super-fast MC Auto Shift software and has been developed for the GranCabrio Sport directly from the transmission in the Quattroporte Sport GT S. The MC Auto Shift provides optimised gearshift response resulting in an even-greater engagement.

The handling has received attention, too, with an upgrade and revision of the Skyhook active-suspension system – now with a sportier tuning – and the adoption of grooved and drilled dual-cast brake discs.

Visually, the GranCabrio Sport is characterised by a more-pronounced dynamic look. This look begins at the GranCabrio's distinctive nose with a black grille and a Trident with red accents. The headlights now have a black look with white sidemarks, while front corner splitters and the redesigned side skirts are both body coloured. The GranCabrio Sport also debuts a new body colour for Maserati: Rosso Trionfale inspired by the red Italian national colours used on 1950s racing Maseratis – in 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio won his fifth F1 World Title at the wheel of a red Maserati 250F.

The GranCabrio Sport will be on sale in all of Maserati's 62 markets starting mid-year 2011.